All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) are informal cross-party groups formed by MPs and Members of the House of Lords who share a common interest in a particular issue, policy area, region, or country. Members of the APPG will regularly meet to discuss, campaign, and promote their issues – both inside and outside of Parliament.
While APPGs are not official parliamentary committees, these groups can be very influential because of their non-partisan approach across both Houses and as they work with key individuals and organisations from outside Parliament.
There are hundreds of APPGs, covering almost every interest and issue – from broad topics like the APPG for Climate Change to niche issues like the Flags and Heraldry APPG.
Below are the main APPGs I am actively involved in which cover issues linked to Wales, Delyn, and my own personal interests. If you would like me to get involved in an APPG not included below, please get in touch via my email – rob.roberts.mp@parliament.uk
Anti – Corruption & Responsible Tax – Vice Chair
- Building a fair and transparent tax system. Campaigning against corruption and financial crime. Working cross-party for real change.
Broadband & Digital Communication
- To further the rollout of broadband in rural and urban areas, and to look at digital communication across the UK.
Cricket – Vice Chair
- To support and promote the interests of cricket at all levels.
Devolution
- To provide a cross-party parliamentary space for an open discussion on the need for a UK-wide devolution settlement.
Entrepreneurship
- To encourage, support and promote entrepreneurship.
Equitable Life Policyholders
- To campaign for justice for the victims of the Equitable Life scandal.
Farming
- The APPG will allow Members to learn more about the world of British Farming.
Financial Education for Young People
- To provide a forum for parliamentarians and organisations to discuss the current provision of financial education in schools, further education and higher education, and ensure that all young people - regardless of background - are equipped to make informed financial decisions.
Financial Markets & Services
- To provide parliamentarians with a unique forum for briefings and constructive debate on issues relating to the financial sector with senior city practitioners, advisors, economists and academics.
Fuel Poverty & Energy Efficiency – Chair
- To maintain awareness in Parliament of fuel poverty issues; to monitor and comment on progress against government targets across the UK to eradicate fuel poverty; to advocate policies that deliver affordable warmth for low income and vulnerable households with emphasis on improved domestic energy efficiency and efficient heating systems.
Hockey – Vice Chair
- To promote the sport of hockey in parliament, support the sport's growth and increase general participation in hockey.
Hospitality & Tourism – Treasurer
- To examine key issues, opportunities and challenges facing the hospitality sector across the UK.
Insurance & Financial Services – Officer
- To examine issues of interest to the insurance and broader financial sectors, especially where there are legislative or regulatory implications.
Mersey Dee North Wales – Vice Chair
- To forge further economic, social, and political links in the unique, urban cross-border areas of North Wales, the Wirral and Cheshire West and Chester.
Pensions
- To develop and encourage pensions arrangements in the UK.
Pension Scams – Vice Chair
- To be a forum through which parliamentarians and other stakeholders can work together to better protect the public from the perils of pension scams and secondary scammers; give scam victims a representative collective voice; signpost victims to support; and facilitate the development of preventative and supportive policy initiatives.
Personal Banking & Fairer Financial Services
- To identify aspects of personal banking and financial services where the service providers or regulators have not delivered, or are not delivering, excellence and appropriate consumer protection; to facilitate and encourage all stakeholders to work together to resolve past and present shortcomings, and to bring about positive changes.
Rail in Wales
- To provide a forum for parliamentarians to discuss issues related to the rail network and industry in Wales. To conduct specific inquiries, and to hear directly from representatives of the rail industry.
Skills & Employment – Officer
- Cross-party coalition of parliamentarians devoted to raising the profile of skills and employment policy. Brings together Parliament, employers, and the skills sector to ensure that skills policy promotes social mobility, lifelong learning opportunities and local economic growth.
Taxation
- To look at and understand tax policy and taxation on all levels including simplification and digitalisation, EU Brexit and its impact on the UK’s taxation system, and international taxation. To work in partnership with HM Treasury to create a 'safe space' for Parliamentarians and interested stakeholders to meet, discuss and develop innovative proposals to reform, simplify and make the UK’s taxation system fairer.
Wales in the World
- To generate awareness of and to consider the profile of Wales on the international stage, and in doing so to consider themes and ideas to support the development and profile of Wales.
Last Updated - 01/03/2021
